Electric-motor car



Patented July 15, 1890.

J. F. MoLAUGI-ILIN. ELECTRIC MOTOR GAR.

(No Model.)

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' lowing description.

UNrrEn STATES JAMES F. IWICLAUGHLIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-MOTOR CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part-of Letters Patent No. 432,208, dated July15,1890.

Application filed April 19, 1890- Serial No. 348,630. (No model .1

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MCLAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric-Motor Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to electricmotor cars of that class inwhich a continuously-operating electric motor is employed and is coupledwith or uncoupled from the drive-wheels of the car by means of asuitable clutch-such, for instance, as shown and described in LettersPatent No. 424,341, granted to me on March 25, 1890, and in LettersPatent No. 424,810, granted to me on April 1, 1890; and its object is tocombine the clutch-operating mechanism with a suitable brake or brakesfor the car-wheels in such manner that by the simple manipulation of asingle lever or similar device the motor may be uncoupled from thedrive-Wheels and immediately thereafter the brakes applied, or thereverse of this operation maybe effected. The operation of the clutchand brakes is so timed that they are both out of engagement when theoperat ing mechanism is in an intermediate position, and the car is thenfree to be moved independent of the motor.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, thereis shown a practical embodiment of my invention; but it is to bedistinctly understood that I am in no wise confined to such identicalstructures, since the same may be variously modified without departingfrom the principle of my invention.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the truck of an electric-motor carembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line soat of Fig. 1, showing also a portion of a' car-body and theoperating-lever mounted on the car-platform; and Figs. 3 and 4 are viewsof details which will be referred to in the fol- Referring to thedrawings, there is shown an electric motor 1, pivotally supported at oneside by a casting 2, on which are brackets 3, having bearin gs embracingthe axle 4 of drivewheels 5. The other side of the said motor issupported on a spring-cushion 6, mounted on a cross-bar 7, forming partof the car-truck frame. The armature-shaft of the motor is coupled witha counter-shaft 8, having bearings in other brackets 9 on the casting'2' by means of a loose gear 10 and clutch 11, the said counter-shaftbeing in turn geared to the axle 4 by suitable gearing 12. The clutchmay be of any suitable construction; but I prefer to use a clutch suchas is shown and described in my aforesaid patents.

J ournaled in brackets 13, depending from the car-platform 'or otherconvenient point on the car, is a short rock-shaft14, and from apointnear one end of the same extends the operating-lever arm 15, projectingupward through the platform, and at one side of this lever there issecured a rack-frame 16, having notches 17 on its upper edge, into whichengages the nose of a pawl or latch 18, pivoted to the lever-arm andcontrolled by a thumb-lever 19, which is pivoted to the saidoperating-lever arm 15 near its upper end and is connected to the pawl18. From a point near the other end of rock-shaft 14 projects parallelbut in the opposite direction to the leverarm 15 another and shorterlever-arm 20, so that the two arms 15 and are connected by or in onepiece with the rock-shaft 14, which latter thus constitutes thefulcrum-pivot of the operating-lever, which as a whole is designated bythe numeral 20. Between the operating-lever and the clutch there isanother rock-shaft 21, having oppositely-projecting arms 22 23 andjournaled in brackets 24 depending from the car-platform. The arm 23 ofthis rock-shaft is connected to the arm 20 of the operating-lever by arod 25, and the arm 22 is connected to the clutch by a rod 26.

Suspended by links 27 from the truck-frame are brake-beams 28 28one foreach pair of truck-wheelsand carrying brake-blocks 29 at the outer endsin operative relation to the said truck-wheels. Each brake-beam 28 haspivoted to it about midway a lever 30, to the ends of which areconnected rods 31, extending to and pivoted at'opposite sides of thepivots of upright levers 32 32', mounted in brackets supported. on across-bar 33 of the truck-frame. Connected to the upper or free end ofthe lever 32 there is a rod 34, extending to and connected with the arm20 of the main operating-lever 20, as shown, and connected to the lever32 is a rod 35, extending to a brake wheel or lever (not shown) at theother end of the car, or to a fixed point under the ear-platform. Thisbrake mechanism being substantially the same as that ordinarily used, itwill not be necessary to describe its operation further than to statethat the lever 32 is normally held against movement and holds thecorresponding ends of the levers 30 against movement with thebrake-beams, and for this reason, when the rod 3t is drawn forward bythe lever 20', the lever 32, acting on the rods 31, connecting it to thelevers 30, draws the ends of the latter on the same side of the trucktoward each other, and thereby applies the brakes in the usual manner.

The connections between the operating-1ever and both the clutch andbrakes are such that when the said lever is moved in one direction thebrakes are carried clear of the wheels and the clutch is put intooperation, connecting the motor-armature with the drivewheel axle, andwhen the operating-lever is moved in the other direction the clutch isreleased and the brakes are applied, while when the operating-lever isin a central position both the brakes and the clutch are out ofoperation, and the car may then be moved in either direction, by hand orotherwise, as occasion may require. Thus it will be observed that asimple movement of the lever 20' in. either direction is all that isnecessary to start the car or when it is in motion to disconnect themotor from the drive-wheels and apply the brakes.

While I have described my invention as applied to electric-motor cars,it is clear that the same is applicable to cars propelled by any otherpower than electricityas, for instance, to cars propelled by steam, oreven to cable-roadssinee the broad feature of myinventionviz., thecontrol of the power-coupling and the brakes by a single-switchmechanismis of equal utility whatever the mode of propulsion may be. Itwill also be under stood that I am not confined to the particular systemof brakes described or to a lever and connecting-rods for operating thesame.

Any other system of levers than the one herein described may be used foroperating the clutch and brake in succession from a single point on theear, and for the purposes of my invention it is of no consequencewhether the levers and connecting-rods are of the character herein shownor whether a system comprising wheels, screws, or other mechanical,elements is used; and by the term system of levers I desire to beunderstood to cover any combination of mechanical elements by whichmotion is conveyed from one point to another.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. In a system of car-propulsion, the combination of amotor carried upon the car anda clutch for applying and disconnectingthe motive power, with a brake for the car-wheels and a single-switchmechanism for actuating the clutch and brake or the brake and clutch insuccession, substantially as described.

2. In a power-propelled ear, the combination of a normally idly-runningmotor and a clutch for coupling the motor to propel the ear,with a brakefor the ear-wheels and a system of levers for releasing the brake andapplying the cluteh and for releasing the clutch and applying the brake,both in succession, substantially as described.

In an electric-motor car, the combination of a constantly-operatingelectric motor and a clutch for connecting the armature of the motorwith and disconnecting it from the drive-wheels, with a brake mechanismand a system of levers connecting the brake and clutch and timed foroperating the two in succession, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES F. MCLAUGHLIN. Witnesses:

II. F. REARDON, JOSEPH LYoNs.

